Fan Fiction ❯ Espoir ❯ Adding the Questions ( Chapter 8 )

Title: Espoir

 

Summary: As Earth enters it's final stage of existance, humanity attempts one last stance to save themselves. An experiement that had been studied since the beginning of Earth's destruction is put into action. Project Espoir 1 has begun...

 

Rating: PG-13+

 

Genre: Drama, Action, Post-Apocalyptic.

 

Chapter Eight

Adding The Questions

 

Report...

 

Takasa, Kuris. Pin No. 77466. Experienced trauma during last Attack. Viewed the violent massacre of an entire regiment at the hands of The Judges. Case Color: Orange.

 

Malvin, Sean. Pin No. 77486. Saw first hand the betrayel of a fellow soldier, was also attacked and beaten by that soldier. Case color: Yellow

 

Jackson, Bray. Pin no. 77469. Viewed betrayel of fellow soldier as well as saw the beating of another soldier. Also noted are various types of rage. Case Color: Yellow

 

Henri, Rene. Pin no. 77567. Recommended by feds. Experiencing severe back cramps and dizziness. No signs of mentral instability other than some anti-socialness. Case Color: Undetermined.

 

Stone, Craig. Pin no. 77444. Recommended to be observed for leadership reasons. No instability detected. Case Color: Green

 

Akuma, Miya. Pin no. 77453. Contining therapy after loss of close friend. Seems to be getting better. Expected to be released soon. Case Color: Yellow-Green.

 

Conclusion of Mental Ward Report. Any new additions should be discussed with Dr. Schlegel before any measures are taken. A copy of this report with be sent to the Headquarters in France, Captain Nottap, and to the Mental Ward itself.

 

End.

 

It hurt horribly. Like his bones were trying to burst from his back.

 

Rene grimanced in pain as he shifted on his bed, trying to get the pain out of his back. It'd been occuring for the last three days.

 

He tightened his fist and let out a low growl. It usually lasted for a few minutes but had been steadily increasing for awhile. The pain was usually followed by his vision blurring and dizziness. Also, we once lost conciousness afterwards but thankfully no one was around to see him passed out.

 

Generally, Rene just wanted to keep it to himself.

 

Humanity was a rather annoying race. He knew the people of Espoir would all concern theirselves with his problems. That was just how they were. Ever since his first encounters with the people, they had been trying to make idle chatter with him.

 

While annoying, it was also somewhat... comforting.

 

It was a feeling Rene had little experience with. He'd had little contact with actual people for most of his life and had never gotten the chance to really feel the closeness of a friend.

 

Rene sighed and tried to stretch his back. The pain was nearly unbearable. Nottap had him going to the mental ward everyday. He really didn't know why. It's not like the pain was in his mind. It was in his back and body. They said the command was coming directly from Headquarters. That was interesting.

 

He let out another soft grunt just before he heard a light knock on his door before his crept open. He looked upon the lean figure of Kuris Takasa as he entered his room.

 

"How's it going?" Kuris asked with a light grin. His face was pale and weary. He'd been going to the ward with him ever since the incident three days ago. "Ready to go, pal?"

 

Pal?

 

"Yes." Rene said and stood. He stood about a head shorter than Kuris. "In a moment."

 

He walked over to his closet and oepend it. Inside, his little amounts of clothing was arranged orderly. He grabbed his Espoir jacket and threw it on.

 

Kuris spoke while he did so, "There has been no sign of Yukio still." He said tiredly, "It's as if he just dissappeared of the face of the Earth."

 

He probably did.

 

"I don't know. It's wierd, ya know." He shrugged and turned to look at Rene, "I guess we're gonna have to wait a little bit longer to give him that punch in the face, eh?"

 

Rene said nothing to the statement. "I'm ready."

 

Kuris nodded, "Right." He prepared to leave, "Hey, let's make a deal. Me and you. We'll stick together through this whole war. Until the end, all right?" He smiled weakly, "We're friends, right?"

 

Friends? It was akward hearing the word spoken to him. Rene did not know what to say so he simply nodded. Slowly and strangely. Kuris took the answer and headed out the door.

 

Rene stood back a few minutes and smiled. He hadn't done that in quite awhile and didn't remember how much he enjoyed the emotion. After the smile dissappeared and was stored away in Rene's memory bank, he continued after Kuris.

 

espoir

 

A soft smile crept over the face of Craig Stone as he sat in the darkened room. The only light came from the small television set sitting across from him, images of a group of men played across the screen.

 

"Yo, Craig!" Stated a large, dark-skinned male in a blue football jersey. "You know your the man and all of us are pulling for ya, bro! You were elected the team MVP, baby!"

 

A larger, older man stepped foreward holding a football with various signatures on it. "You won the election easily, Craig. Your the MVP, take care of the ball."

 

The young man spoke again, "And kill some of those aliens for us, eh, Stone! Get some, baby! Get some!"

 

The older man, Craig's coach, spoke up once more. "The whole team is cheering for ya, Craig and don't you worry about your college career. It'll all be waiting for you when your done." The man grinned, "Take care, Craig."

 

The entire team began cheering for Craig before the screen went blank. Craig sat in silence before chuckling to himself. He looked down at the football in his hands. Splattered with the names of everyone on the team and with his name and the letters MVP written in big latter. He chuckled and tossed the ball up and down.

 

He stood and glanced out the window. The few soldiers were walking around. Everyone was anxious.

 

No passes had been issued since the incident three days ago and everyone was on edge. Questions were asked everywhere, mostly concerning

Yukio and his recent betrayel. To tell the truth, Craig really didn't know anything about the man.

 

How could a man join The Judges? How do you communicate with the things? It sounded like the guy was just insane. The Judges probably slaughtered him upon sight. His remains were probably laying somewhere in a street.

 

Craig sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He missed his home. His friends and family.

 

He shook his head quickly. Thinking of home would only get him depressed and the last thing Craig needed was to be depressed. Especially when he was in a leadership position. How could he lead if he was too busy worrying about himself.

 

Sitting on the bed, Craig began to ponder how the guys were dealing with things. Last he heard, Sean and Kuris were still being treated at the mental ward in bad condition. He hadn't gotten a chance to speak with them much. The door knob turning caught Craig's attention.

 

The door opened and Craig smiled at the sight of Captain Rufus Nottap entering his room. Nottap nodded to Craig before taking a seat next to him on the bed.

 

"Something from home?" Nottap asked, gesturing to the tape on top of the television.

 

"Yeah." Craig said with a grin, "It's from the team." He held up the autographed football, "I'm MVP."

 

"Who else?" Nottap said with a chuckle as he looked at the ball, "You sure got something to look forward to when you get home."

 

Craig smiled, "What about you, sir?"

 

Nottap was silent for a moment. "No wife, no children. The military is my mistress."

 

"What about your family?"

 

"My father..." Nottap chuckled, "No, let's just say I have no family left."

 

They were both quiet for a few moments before Craig spoke up, "Anyword on Yukio?"

 

"Nothing." He sighed, "There's been absolutely no sign of the guy since his dissappearance. The HQ is really putting pressure on the situation."

 

"I would think so." Craig said, "A leak in the system. What could be worse?"

 

"A system failure, that's what."

 

Craig nodded slowly and looked around the dark room. "You really think Espoir could fail?"

 

Nottap sighed, "I've learned never to count anything out. A underdog can always come back."

 

"And who is the underdog here?"

 

The Captain thought a moment then shook his head. He sighed and stood, preparing to leave. He was halfway out the door when Craig spoke up.

 

"Sir." He swallowed, "No matter how distant, family is family."

 

Nottap glanced at Craig for a second before laughing and leaving him alone.

 

espoir

 

"How's Kuris?"

 

Kei looked up across the table and caught glance of two fabulous blue eyes looking back at her. She looked bakc down at the food on her plate with a frown.

 

"Bad." She said, "He blames himself for a lot of things. It's hard to understand him but I think he'll be okay."

 

A grunt from her left caused Kei to look up at the large Bray Jackson.

 

"Something wrong, big guy?" Asked Audrey, winking a blue eye at the man.

 

Bray frowned, "Kuris will be fine. He knows that but is having trouble realizing it."

 

"You think he'll ever realize it?" Asked the blonde girl.

 

"Yes." He said, "As soon as he needs to."

 

Audrey blinked, "When will that be?"

 

The table went silent.

 

She sighed heavily, "Fine, don't answer me."

 

Kane smiled over at the blonde, "Bray Jackson, a man of few words."

 

Bray nodded slowly, eating as he did so.

 

Kei chuckled, "But when he speaks, you'd better listen."

 

"Or you'll wind up with a black eye." Added Kane.

 

They all laughed, all save for Bray who simply continued to eat.

 

Kei sensed someone behind her and turned around only to be greeted by the handsome face of Yoko Nogami.

 

"Hello, beautiful." He said with a bright grin.

 

"Sit." Kei said with a frown and turned back to her food.

 

Nogami sat, "So, how's our motely little bunch doing today?" He looked around, "We're a few short."

 

"Kuris and Sean are at the ward. Craig is in his room. No clue where Miya is." Kane said all this in between spoon fulls.

 

"Of course." Nogami crossed his arms, "No worries." He put an arm around Kei and grinned, "Takasa will be back soon enough. In the mean time, I'll take care of his cupcake."

 

A dig drop of pudding in the face was enough to get Nogami away, "I think the cupcake will be just fine alone, thanks." Said Audrey with a grin.

 

Loko grimanced and used his napkin, "Harsh..."

 

Kane chuckled and leaned back, "What a crowd."

 

espoir

 

The room was dark.

 

There was only one light in the entire chamber and that came from the hallway. It barely illuminated the dungeon that confined Kuris. The small room in the back of the mental ward where Kuris waited for his phsychiatrist to find time for him.

 

If anything, the room made everything worse. It brought back the memorys of three days ago. He could hear the screams of the men he slaughtered and he could see their dying faces. He still felt the blood on his hands.

 

It wasn't just that he killed all those men, he lied about it.

 

Oh, it was The Judges. I had nothing to do with it. I'm a damn angel!

 

He ran from it. Living up to the Takasa name and running away from difficult, frightening things. That was what they were known for afterall. First Tuni, now this. Kuris was turning out to be just like him.

 

His fist hit the wall behind him.

 

Just like him? No! He'd grown up saying "I don't ever want to be like him" and "I'll never run" but look now. Things sure didn't turn out like he thought.

 

A little hypocrite.

 

He could spend hours cursing and insulting him but in the end, Kuris was just like him. The Takasa blood ran deep within Kuris' veins and he could never run away from his heritage.

 

Why?

 

Why do you have to be such a coward?

 

Why can't you just face your demons like a man?

 

Why won't you just stop running and try acting brave for once in your miserable life?

 

Why can't you be strong?

 

He was helpless. A worthless little peion just trying to survive in a world of worthy people. Taking things from people that really deserved it. He did it to Tuni awhile ago and knew damn right that he would do it again.

 

All to save his life.

 

His pathetic little life. Why couldn't he just fight it? Face his fears bravely and fight strong like everyone else in Espoir was doing.

 

"Good day, Kuris."

 

Kuris looked up from the chair just in time to see Dr. I-Know-How-You-Feel walk into the room. He pushed his glasses higher up onto his round face and sat down in the chair opposite him.

 

"How are you today?"

 

A simple question. It seemed harmless enough but the answer could be the difference in him having to spend more and more time in the dark room or being let out.

 

"I'm fine." He said with a light smile, "Could be better but ya know."

 

"How could you be better?"

 

This was how it always went. Kuris would say something then the doctor would press further and further into the discussion until Kuris was about to blow his brains out.

 

"Well, I could be at home with my family rather than fighting a bunch of mysterious aliens."

 

The doctor nodded slowly and wrote on his little paper just like he always did. Kuris had no idea what he wrote but he never stopped. Whatever it was that he was writing, it was longer than hell.

 

"Are you saying you don't want to fight anymore?"

 

Did he say that?

 

"No, I'm just saying I would be much happier somewhere else." Kuris said through clenched jaw, "Wouldn't you rather be at peace than at war?"

 

The doctor simply nodded.

 

"I'm not saying I don't want to fight anymore because I know it's for the good of the planet but..." He struggled with words. "You know what I mean."

 

"Sure." That doctor was a smug little bastard.

 

The session would continue like that for hours until Kuris was excused and allowed to leave. By that time, it was nearly dusk and the curfew would be nearing. No time to see friends or anything. All Kuris would have time for is sleep then wake up and go back to the ward. It was excruciatingly dull.

 

However, on this day, things would be different.

 

espoir

 

The sirens went off.

 

What else was new? It seemed like anytime life was beginning to slow down, those damn sirens would go off and ruin everything. Signalling another attack by The Judges and the loss of more life.

 

Sean slowly rested his head in his hands, peering at the floor through tired eyes. Who would die this time? Would it be one of his friends or someone he didn't know too well. The possibiltys were endless.

 

He wanted to help. He wanted to be by his friends and comrades side as they battled for the good of humanity. However, that was impossible. The doctors wouldn't allow him to go off on a mission in the state he was in.

 

What state?

 

Being in shock over being betrayed by a former comrade? Having his religion, his life, mocked and belittled by that same human being? Sounds like something that could screw with a guy's mind all right.

 

Sean looked up from the ground and saw a group of soldiers run by, obviously on their way to board The Chariot and help preserve life... or lose their own.

 

God, what should I do?

 

A sentence that ran through Sean's mind quite often. A sign, that was all he needed. A reason to go on living and fighting this seemingly useless battle. What would The Lord want him to do?

 

"You are weak. That is why you rely on religion. You rely on your God because you are scared of nothingness. You are scared of having no reason to exist in this hell. Beleiving in a ultimate being gives you a reason for existance, something to hope and wish for instead of having that constant fear of not existing."

 

Scared of nothingness? Yes, that he would admit to. Who wasn't afraid of not existing, of being nothing and never acknowledged again. Yes, it was a truth. Sean was afraid of nothingness.

 

Some would have turned away from God in such a event. Sean actually nearly did. Shortly after the incident three days ago, Sean found himself cursing and accusing God. Saying that everything was His fault and pondering why He would do something like this to him. At one point, Sean even began to beleive that He didn't exist.

 

However, the incident only strengthened Sean's faith. Yukio Raidon was a example. An example of the completely mislead and faithless. He had lost his way and now, would probably never find it again. Yet, there were others. Sean knew several of them personally. People who were confused and scared, afraid of the same nothingness and weakness as Yukio and Sean both were down inside. God would use Sean to aid in this problem.

 

He was a vessel. God's vessel in Espoir to help the others and preserve the life of all soldiers. Sure, he may not be able to save them from their mortal deaths but he could help them to live on spiritually along side The Lord.

 

Who could beleive in and love a God who would allow such things to happen? Sean could.

 

If anything, the incident three days ago did nothing but make Sean stronger. Mentally, physically, and spiritually.

 

He would continue living and fighting until the last days. Wether that be soon or not for many years to come, Sean would not give up so easily.

 

The battle was out there and Sean wanted to be part of it.

 

Sean listened to the roar of The Chariot's engines just as he opened the folds of his Book and turned the pages.

 

The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

-1 Corinthians 15:26

 

espoir

 

Kendai was only a few miles outside the city of Tokyo. The arrival of The Judges marked the closest attack to a Espoir base to date. The unit was expected to arrive in less than five minutes so all soldiers were advised to be ready for battle as soon as possible.

 

An easy command for Bray to follow.

 

He was always ready to kill more of those bastards. Everyone was present all save for Sean. He was stuck in the confines of the mental ward, not allowed to participate in battle until the doctors okayed it. No one spoke it but all knew it. This battle was for Sean.

 

Bray turned his large, shaved head to the front to watch Craig Stone get out of the way just as the drop doors began to open. The familiar sounds of battle began to grow louder as they neared the destination. Craig looked at his comrades and gave the signal for them to prepare for the drop and Bray immediatly readied his rifle.

 

They all jumped as they always did. One at a time, careful not to hurt themselves but ready to move upon impact. It happened just as it always did but for some odd reason, Bray felt strange about this jump.

 

Upn hitting the ground, Bray dived for some cover just as a barrage of enemy fire hit the ground. The familiar whispering sound filled Bray's head. It was a sound he hated. That of The Judges.

 

Some of the unit was returning fire in an attempt to move The Judges focus from that of the jumping soldiers. It seemed to work as th entire unit eventually made it off the ship and watched as he flew off into the distance.

 

The unit was already divided into thirds. Craig radioed the two other groups, ordering them to make their way into the city to maintain contact at all times. One group would be lead by Kane Kisho, the other by Bray himself.

 

It was akward being in charge but Bray tried hard to to allow his feelings show and immediatly ordered the group into a flexible line. He took point as the group started into the city, having to stop and fight off enemy hordes ever few feet.

 

The sights were familiar. Broken windows and burning buildings. Dead humans were scattered about the streets like a scattered newspaper. The group had grown much more used to the sights over time and tried their best not to pay attention.

 

Bray glanced back at his group to see how everyone was holding up. Besides the two unknowns in his group, Bray noted the presence of Miya and Kei. As well as the strange presence of Kuris Takasa and Rene Henri. It was strange seeing the two there as he had not seen either of them in three days and was surprised to see that they were allowed back into the field so quickly.

 

He had to cut their reunion to just a nod as Bray had much more important matters to deal with. Most noticable, the mass of enemys invading the japanese city they were currently in.

 

Bray was forced to deal with constant check-ins with Craig and Kane and was tempted to turn off his mic. However, he dealt with the matters easily and simply told them they were doing fine and were facing very little supression. It didn't really take long for that to change, of course.

 

The group was making it's way through a four-way intersection when the ship came into sight. It was huge and quiet, seeming to appear from no where in the blink of an eye. It stood in the air for what seemed like hours, unmoving, completely still. For a moment, everyone beleived it to be nothing more than a mirage. Something that didn't exist.

 

They only thought that for a short amount of time until the ship showed the first signs of life. A bright flash short from the hull of the ship and in a matter of seconds, the group was completely surrounded by enemys. Chaos followed and the small group soon found itself separated into even smaller group, fighting for their lives against the teleported foes.

 

The enemy had the upper hand and it wasn't long before the entire group was separated and forced to retreat in different directions. Things had begun to look grim.

 

espoir

 

'I'm dead. There's no way I can live this time!'

 

Those were the thoughts running through Kuris' mind as he ran down the street. He was completely alone. He'd lost track of the others when The Judges suddenly appeared, apparently from the wierd ship. All he could think about was getting the hell out of there and finding someplace safe.

 

He obviously forgot that there was no where safe in the city of Kendai.

 

'Where the hell is everyone? Am I alone? Alone again? What do I do? Run? Run again? Run from what? Damnit, I don't want to die!'

 

Kuris rounded a corner and finally halted in a wide alleyway. He leaned forward and breathed heavily, trying to catch his breath and make sense of what was going on. He sighed and leaned against the wall, his eyes immediatly went up to the strange ship that still floated overhead.

 

His eyes stayed on the ship for a long while. Pondering what was going on inside. What were The Judges thinking? Did they think at all? Why were they trying to kill everything?

 

His thoughts were interuppted by another flash from the ship. It was similar to that of the time before. Kuris immediatly began to look around, waiting for his death to arrive.

 

All he heard as a chuckle.

 

Looking up, Kuris caught eyes with a strange individual. Standing on the top of one of the walls that formed the alley. His hair was practically silver and skin pale. He wore strange armor. It looked somewhat gold but seemed kind of rusted and broken in places. A long sword was in his hand and he chuckled once more.

 

A smile crept over the individuals face as he looked down at Kuris, "Good day, weakling."

 

espoir

 

The near setting sun shone a brilliant orange over the countryside.

 

Alcoholic beverage in hand, Katsuhiro Raidon sat comfortably in his recliner and read the headlines of the paper. It seemed as thought the Earth was starting to get in better shape. The new Espoir Program seemed to be working well to deflect the enemy's attacks.

 

It seemed as thought all would work out afterall.

 

Katsuhiro let out a sigh as he laid the paper down just in time to see his wife walk into the room, her face pale and eyeliner seemingly runny. He raised an eyebrow and sat up straight.

 

"Something wrong, dear?"

 

The woman clenched her jaw and extended a small envelope to his hand.

 

Katsuhiro opened the envelope and quickly read over the contents. Tears welled up into his eyes as well and he stood. His wife fell into his arms as the paper fell to the floor.

 

"There, there." Katsu said chokingly, "I'm sure Yukio is in a much better place."

 

How? Why? When? Where? Those questions would never be answered for the Raidons. All they could do to comfort themselves was to have faith that their son was in a 'better place.'

 

espoir

 

"Yukio..."

 

Kuris' eyes widened as he looked upon the disheveled form of Yukio Raidon. The silver-haired man smirked once more and leaned his head back.

 

"You seem surprised..." He chuckled, "Did you doubt that I had aligned myself with The Judges? Oh, you humans are so foolish and weak. Not me. I am strong now! Stronger than all thanks to my new comrades." Yukio motioned to the ship above. "All you weaklings will fall under my fist."

 

"Yukio, how..." Kuris shook his head, "Your actually doing this?"

 

"Of course, weakling." He crossed his arms, tapping the sword gently on his leg. "You should feel privliged. You get to be the first to die by the hand of the future ruler of Earth!"

 

With that last comment, Yukio dived from the top of the wall. Kuris barely got out of the way of Yukio's attack and landed flat on his back beside him. Yukio laughed once more before diving into another barrage of attacks.

 

Kuris lost his rifle in the action and was forced to withdraw his own blade. He raised it just at the same moment that Yukio swung his own. The two blades hit in a shower of sparks. Kuris grunted and fell back a few steps, blinking in an attept to find Yukio.

 

The man moved like lightning. If Kuris did as much as blink he lost sight of the man until he was in his face. Kuris fell to the ground, a long cut on his right cheek dripped blood onto the pavement. He breathed heavily and tried to stand but Yukio was on him and kicked him in the gut. Kuris went flying a few more feet and finally climbed to his feet.

 

It took all his strength to stand and face Yukio. The silver-haired demon laughed and took one last sprint towards Kuris. This was it, there was no way Kuris could parry another attack. He was done for.

 

Yukio raised his sword and brought it down hard. Kuris closed his eyes, awaiting the burning sensation as the metal tore thorugh his skin and bone. However, all Kuris heard was the clash of metal and a loud grunt. When he opened his eyes, Kuris was greeted with the sight of Rene standing in front of him, sword bared. Yukio stood a few feet back, looking rather unhappy. He frowned as he looked upon Rene.

 

"What's this?" Asked Yukio, regaining his composure, "Another insect arrives?"

 

Kuris forced himself to one knee and wiped some blood away from his cheek. Rene stood fast.

 

"Ah, you." Yukio's face suddenly turned grim. "They told me about you. The First. The Beginning. The Genesis. The Experiment. The Chosen. The Lucky. The Test. The Son." Yukio's smirked returned. "The LeFluer Equation."

 

Rene didn't move and tightened his grip on the blade.

 

"Oh, yes. They told me all about you. Tell me, does it hurt?"

 

Rene blinked a few times, "What are you talking about?"

 

"Your back. Does it hurt?" Yukio rolled his eyes, "Does the Equation hurt? Your spirit, your symbol?"

 

The young man in question seemed completely confused by the questions but simply widened his stance. Yukio shrugged and let out a chuckle.

 

"You are The First but no matter." Yukio twisted his sword in his hand, "The Judges have made me powerful. They have increased my growth and now I have surpassed that even of you. The LeFluer Equation, no matter how brilliant and all-knowing, didn't even take into account the effect of direct interference from The Judges."

 

Kuris looked at both of the individuals. Although confused at first, it seemed as though Rene somehow understood everything that Yukio was saying. It all seemed like gibberish to Kuris. He was about to speak up when Rene launched himself forward.

 

Yukio was ready and parried the first blow from Rene and was able to return another swipe. This blow was parried by the shorter Rene who then gave a horizontal slash towards Yukio's stomach. Yukio was quick enough to do a backflip and land a few feet away from Rene. He frowned and dived for Rene, bringing his sword down hard. Rene was just as quick and launched himself a few feet into the air, just dodging Yukio's attack. While in the air, Rene withdrew his pistol and fired a shot directly at Yukio. Time seemed to slow as Yukio turned his head, the bullet just grazing Yukio's cheek.

 

Angered, Yukio launched himself at Rene and dealt a barrage of attacks. One of these opened a cut on Rene's chest, causing him to fall back and grimance in pain. The battle didn't pause for more than a second before Rene countered. He slashed a long, narrow cut down Yukio's pale face.

 

The two traded blows like this for what seemed like forever. Finally, Yukio fell back. Both were bloody and broken and breathing heavily. Yukio cursed and gritted his teeth before he slammed his blade into the ground.

 

"Damn it." He said loudly, "How is it that I am being threatened by this weakling? I am Yukio Raidon. I have been given the power of Espoir and The Judges! I am unbeatable!"

 

Rene swallowed hard and lowered his blade, "Fool."

 

"What did you say?" Yukio asked, his eyes blazing.

 

"You are a fool." Rene said, "You beleive yourself to be better than everyone else and yet, that is the very thing that makes you weak. There will always be someone stronger and you cannot make yourself more powerful until you realize that. You fear being weak and being looked down upon and strive to be superior to others." Rene swallowed, "The thing you see as power is the very thing that makes you a weakling."

 

"What?" Yukio gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, "You dare call me a weakling!? How dare you? I could crush you and this entire planet if I desired! The Equation has been increased and it is only a matter of time!"

 

Suddenly, Yukio fell to the ground and shouted. His hands went beihnd him to grab his back and he cursed. A crackling sound was heard then Yukio looked up, a menacing smirk on his face.

 

"You'll see..." He said with a chuckle, "The true power of the Equation with the added exponent of The Judges."

 

He went silent for a moment before shouting in pain. Something burst from Yukio's back and his armor began to crack and break off. Yukio's shouts became deeper and deeper and before long, he resembled nothing like a human being or a Judge. His skin was dark and bloody and his eyes had turned red. Two long, black wings of bone stuck out from his back. Yukio arched his back and let out another shout. With this, a flash of light blinded everyone in sight.

 

When Kuris regained his vision, what he saw before him nearly caused him to faint. Yukio was no more but standing in his place was a huge creature. It stood about as tall as a skyscraper. Humanoid with that same bloody skin and bony wings, the creature carried a large blade and cried out with something that sounded like a mix between a human's cry of pain and The Judges strange whisperings. It let out another shriek before swinging it's blade into a nearby building, causing it to burst into debris.

 

"Wha-What the hell is that?!" Kuris shouted as he burst to his feet, backing up.

 

Rene stood a few feet away and frowned, "The LeFluer Equation...Ah..."

 

Just as Yukio had done, Rene fell to his knees and shouted in pain. Kuris knew what would happen next. As before, long wings burst from Rene's back. These were not like Yukio's however. They were longer and had a faint, white glow to them. They were also feathered. Rene's skin began to change. It turned bloody and dark like the creatures but had the same white glow to it that the wings did. His eyes changed to red and in a little less than a minute, the same flash occured. When vision returned, Rene was no more but was replaced with the same towering menace.

 

The creature let out a cry just like the other monster's before starting towards it. The ground shook with each step that the monster's took and when they clashed, it was like two gods doing battle.

 

The Rene creature withdrew a long, white blade to counter that of the other creature. The two first began their onslaught on the ground but it soon took to the sky. The monsters slashed and beat each other bloody. The air was filled with their eerie howls and blood rained down from the sky, painting the city of Kendai red.

 

Kuris soon found himself throwing up, his body covered with the blood of the demons that still battled overhead. Tears welled up in his eyes as the blood seemed to burn the pupils. He wiped the tears from his eyes and was able to look up just in time to see the Yukio beast throw itself at Rene.

 

The creature howled and rammed it's long head into Rene's. When the white beast went slack, it held it with both arms to keep it from falling and howled. A sickening sound was heard and another arm burst from the chest of Yukio and grabbed onto the large, bulbous growth on the white creature's shoulder. He grabbed on hard and began to pull. The skin and tissue began to rip and it wasn't long before the entire bulbous growth was ripped away.

 

Now in Yukio's beastly hands, all could see that the inside of the growth was actually a strange, sickening little creature. It squirmed and screeched as Yukio held it. The Yukio beast howled and crushed the growth, causing Rene to howl in pain.

 

With nothing but shear anger, Rene threw itself at Yukio and with every last bit of strength, threw it to the ground. The creature lost control and plummeted to the city at a amazing pace. Finally, the creature met it's destination at the end of a long, golden spike at the top of the only Western church in Kendai. The golden spear thrust straight through Yukio, piercing his own growth. The creature squirmed and quivered for only a moment before falling dead.

 

Kuris wiped some blood from his face and looked over just in time to see the white beast fall to the ground with a Earth-shaking crash. A bright flash was seen just before Kuris sprinted off into the inner city.

 

He didn't hear Craig's voice come over his comlink recalling all troops.

 

espoir

 

"What the hell is going on?!"

 

"Shut up and get on!" Craig shouted as he began a head count of the soldiers. "Captain Nottap has called for a immediate evac of the area ASAP."

 

Kane blinked, "What about the city?"

 

"It's lost. All known survivors have been evacuated."

 

Bray Jackson took his seat in The Chariot, "Any idea what those flying things were?"

 

"No clue but I don't want to stick around to find out." Craig said, finishing his count. "Reports any known casualtys."

 

"I had one death." Kane said, shaking his head. "Young kid from America. We couldn't retrieve the body."

 

"None here." Bray said, "A couple of injuries though."

 

"Right." Craig said, "We haven't experienced any casualtys either." He bit his lip, "We're two people short."

 

"Kuris isn't here." Kei said, blinking her young eyes.

 

"Or Rene." Added Kane.

 

Craig was hesitant. He stood outside the ship for awhile before shaking his head and climbing on board. Kei's eyes widened and she forced herself on Craig.

 

"What are you doing?" She asked, "We can't just leave them out there."

 

Craig shook his head, "Captain Nottap said there is good evidence that Rene is dead."

 

"What about Kuris?!" She asked, becoming teary. "We can't just leave. He's out there, I know it."

 

"The Captain has given us the order to evacuate. We cannot endanger the entire unit just for Kuris, especially if the chances are he is..."

 

"Don't say it! Don't you say he's dead, Craig!" Kei tried to get off the ship but was held but by Audrey. She gripped Kei around the waist and easily held her back. "No! Let go, we can't go! Not yet! Kuris is still alive!"

 

Craig sighed and yelled back, "Nogami! Let's get out of here!"

 

Kei fell into a fit of sobs and pushed her face into Audrey's shoulder. She stayed that way for the entire ride back to Centra-Tokyo.

 

To Be Continued...